Thursday, November 21, 2013

The Pearl, by John Steinbeck

What would you do if you had a large pearl worth millions? In The Pearl by John Steinbeck, a pearl divers child is bitten by a snake and the only doctor refuses to help as how poor he is. This suddenly changes when he starts looking for pearls. He finds the biggest pearl the world has ever seen, but turns selfish and keeps it for himself. However, many people want it, so badly, that they would kill for it. Watch as he struggles to keep his family safe from trackers, and from the pearls evil influence.

My opinion on this book is that it offers you the hardships that Mexican people faced back then when the Spanish people took over. If your looking for a novella that is classic, this book is just that. In the end, it was really sad and can make you think the endings really unfair. I won't tell you, but the only way you will find it is by reading it. 

Reviewed by Ray B., grade 9
Montrose Library

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

In The Pearl by John Steinbeck Kino is a poor diver who lives in the small town of La Paz with his wife, Juana, and his baby son Coyotito. Coyotito gets a serious injury and is taken to the town doctor, but since they are poor, he does not get any treatment. Kino decides that he will go diving and after the diving is done, he finds a huge pearl. The pearl brings on much misfortune to the family and causes more problems than it solves. The book gets you to see how one simple object changes everyone and everything around it.

I was honestly really disappointed with The Pearl, I expected much more from it because I heard the author was really good. But the book was pretty boring like I barley got myself to finish the book even though its short. It has too much description that just stretched out and made it hard to get through or want to get through. Overall though, I liked the book for the moral and all the little lessons it teaches you because it just comes to show that money isn’t everything and I think people tend to forget that a lot so it’s important.

Reviewed by Nayri T., grade 10
Casa Verdugo Library

Teen Speak said...

The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, is about a native man named Kino who is married to Juana. One day their baby Coyotito gets bitten by a scorpion. In panic. Kino and Juana rush to the doctor to save their baby. The doctor refuses to treats peasants because he assumes they cannot afford to pay for the treatment to heal the baby. Soon enough, the mother and father think of a plan to get the money and cure the baby. The family goes to search for pearls and is successful. With the new found pearl that is bigger than they expected, they were in search for wealth. With the loss of the house and criminals invading their safety, it is left for the reader to discover the truth of what will happen.

My opinion of this book is that it has very meaningful morals and is very worthwhile. It teaches the life lesson that family comes first before everything else. Kino's family looses all the have in an effort to save Coyotito, their baby. I felt that this book is similar to life because most families would do anything for their children's health and that money does not come first. Kino's pride portrays this idea and the outcomes of being blind of what comes first. I recommend this book to anyone because it teaches the reader that family is the biggest part of life.

Reviewed by Tiffany, grade: 8
Grandview Library

Teen Speak said...

"The Pearl", by John Steinbeck, was a very “eye opening” book.When Kino’s newborn child is bitten by a black scorpion, the doctor refuses to help, as Kino and his wife, Juana, has no money to pay for it. Getting desperate, Kino goes pearl diving for money to pay for the baby’s treatment. Kino finds the most perfect pearl in the world, but is overtaken by greed. This Pearl and his greed affects the other people around him too. Because of the pearl, Kino makes many sacrifices to keep it.

I liked this book because not only did it show the difference in class structure back then, but it showed how valuable things can induce greed into the owner. It also showed how the actions caused by the object can affect the people around you. If you’re looking for a book with romance, action and showing how society was back then, I suggest this book. It may be old, but it’s a classic.

Reviewed by Charles B., Grade 9
Montrose Library

Melissa said...

The Pearl was a novella that showcased the effects that greed and society can have on the average man. Kino is a poor man with a wife, Juana, and a child, Coyotito. Kino also desperately needs money. Coyotito gets stung by a scorpion, and urgently needs medical assistance. However, the only doctor in the village is extremely stingy and only does treatment for large amounts of money. So Kino does the thing he does best, and goes pearl diving. With great luck, Kino discovers the biggest pearl that anyone has ever seen. But now Kino has a bigger problem. With great fortune comes great risk, and Kino is taking the risk in order to seize the fortune. Will his newfound greed and wealth take over him?

I personally did not enjoy the Pearl. It was most definitely an amazing book, and it showcased a man spiraling down into the depths of greed. Kino is originally presented as a loving family man, who's only goal is to be with his family. But watching him slowly devolve into a madman, obsessing over the pearl and abandoning his family for it was almost heartbreaking. His wariness was psychotic, and when it even extended to Juana, it was already over. Not everything was his fault, because there was no doubt that some of the events that occurred were because of greedy outsiders, but other events were the product of Kino's actions. This book is something that I would recommend to those who have been exposed to society and have financial experience, because most people my age seemed to not relate to or enjoy this book.

Reviewed by Abraham, Grade 9
Montrose Library